


Poe

by DontSpeakOfTheAttic



Series: Rise [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, I'll work on length but I saw the trailer for botw2 and got hyped so I had to finish and post this, Rise AU, They're poes so obviously they're dead, This one is really short too sorry, We're kind of getting into the story finally, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2020-05-02 04:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19191676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontSpeakOfTheAttic/pseuds/DontSpeakOfTheAttic
Summary: The first time Mellen dies he is surrounded, but so, so alone.When he wakes up, he knows he is not.





	1. Mellen

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Did y'all see that BotW2 trailer? Because I did and holy shit guys. I'm so hyped. I keep seeing theories circling around that it might tie into Twilight Princess and Midna and I don't know how likely that is but honestly that would be fantastic.
> 
> Anyway, the trailer got me hyped so I finished this little piece I had lurking in my drafts. It's short, but it's a real introduction into the story I'm trying to tell here. Mellen is going to be one of our main characters. Hope you guys like this!

The first time Mellen dies he is surrounded, but so, so alone.

 

There is a battle raging around him, cries of anguish echoing in his ears, but he has never felt more alone. He can smell burning flesh that isn’t his (yet), and he can hear the clanging of swords other than his own, but it’s as if there’s a wall between him and the rest of it. He doesn’t- can’t- register it. All he knows is the weight of the sword in his hand, the terror in his gut, and the rain pounding down all around him.

 

When he wakes up, he  _ knows _ he is not alone. 

He can feel the eyes on him, but he ignores them for the moment. Because he shouldn’t have woken up. Mellen is a man of logic, a realist, he likes to think. And the fact of the situation is this:

He is dead.

 

It’s clear as day. There is no warmth to his skin, no beating in his chest. He is pale and faded, a washed out imitation of what he once was. And if that isn’t enough, the last thing he remembers-  _ that horrid sound, fear, a flash of tell-tale light and it BURNS- _ no. He doesn’t want to think about that right now. He has to focus on the facts, and that fact is that he is dead.

 

But he’s still here.

 

“Here” is the desert, with sandy cliffs rising high above him and countless eyes watching him from the shadows. The moon is high in the sky but he can’t feel the chill that he knows is there.

 

And here, he learns of the Poe.

 

Spirits of the fallen, who cling to life so hard that they never truly die. Their souls are trapped in the lanterns they carry, and they are forced to roam the lands they once called home. 

 

It’s depressing, really, and Mellen says as much, only to be met with ghostly laughter. The Poes that have surrounded him lower their hoods, revealing faces of various years and races, all with a tiredness in their eyes. They tell him that it would be, were they alone. But they have made a second life for themselves, and things are better than they could be. They hand him a set of robes and a lantern, and though the soft blue light feels heavier than it should be, he doesn’t mind. It’s a second chance.

 

Then Calamity rises.


	2. Daki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first thing he hears is his name, whispered in a dead man's voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two of this little introduction to the characters of of the Rise AU! (whoops, it took me forever) part three is currently in the works, and then on to the main event.

    “Daki?”

 

The first thing he hears is his name, whispered in a dead man’s voice, and it aches because he knows there’s no way he can really be hearing it. He keeps his eyes closed, letting the illusion stay for a moment longer.

“Is that… really you?”

 

The voice comes again, and that’s when he remembers. His eyes snap open as everything comes rushing back, and he sits up. 

 

He shouldn’t be here.

 

_ He shouldn’t be here. _

 

He’s halfway to a panic attack as he tries to figure out what happened. Had someone found him? Had he been brought back home? Neither of those explained the voice— The voice.

 

His mind cleared for a moment, and he took in his surroundings. Packed sand beneath him, orange rock stretching high above on either side. Wind ruffling his feathers, though the sensation felt… different. And around him, standing loosely in a circle: Several tall, hooded figures. The center figure had taken a step forward and was lowering his hood. When Daki’s gaze landed on his face, he froze.

Because it couldn’t be.

 

“Mellen?”

 

It  _ couldn’t be _ .

His best friend was dead. He knew that.

So  _ why _ was he here, kneeling in front of him with concern in those familiar hazel eyes?

 

Unless…

 

“I’m dead, aren’t I?” As soon as he said it, he knew it had to be true. Why else would he be halfway across Hyrule, staring into the face of someone he knew without a doubt was dead.

 

Mellen didn’t even have to speak. The pained expression on his face was answer enough.

 

“What happened?” He asked instead.

 

“I…” Daki looked away, words dying in his throat. Memories rose unbidden in the back of his mind. The worry when Mellen stopped answering his letters. Disbelief when news of the battle broke— no survivors. Anger because none of it was fair and there was nothing he could do.

 

“I was stupid,” he finally settled on, before looking back at Mellen and the others around them. “What… is this?”

 

Mellen looked at the others and stood, holding a hand out to help Daki up.

 

“These are the Poe.”


End file.
